The 10 quiz questions
Question 1 : On 3 April 1973, Martin Cooper of Motorola made the very first call from a mobile phone. To whom did he make this historic call?
Possible answers:
- To his wife who had stayed at the Motorola office
- To US President Richard Nixon
- To a competitor working at Bell Labs
- To a New York Times journalist present at the scene
Explanation: Martin Cooper called his rival Joel Engel, director of research at AT&T Bell Labs. This first mobile phone, the DynaTAC 8000X, weighed nearly one kilogram and offered only 30 minutes of talk time. The model would not be commercialised for the general public until 1983.
Question 2 : Which speed record did the SNCF TGV set on 3 April 2007 on the East European High-Speed Line?
Possible answers:
- 532.4 km/h
- 560.0 km/h
- 574.8 km/h
- 601.2 km/h
Explanation: The TGV V150, designed by Alstom, reached 574.8 km/h, beating the previous world record on rail held since 1990 by France itself with 515.3 km/h. This rail record remains to this day the highest ever achieved by a train on conventional railway.
Question 3 : On 3 April 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed the Marshall Plan. What was the main objective of this plan?
Possible answers:
- Create a military alliance between Western countries
- Finance the economic reconstruction of Europe after the war
- Establish a definitive peace treaty with Germany
- Establish a common market between the United States and Europe
Explanation: The Marshall Plan, officially called the European Recovery Program, provided more than 13 billion dollars in American economic aid over four years to rebuild the European economies devastated by the Second World War. It also aimed to contain Soviet influence in Western Europe.
Question 4 : On 3 April 1922, Joseph Stalin took on a key role in the Soviet Communist Party. Which position did he then hold?
Possible answers:
- President of the Supreme Soviet
- People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs
- General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
- Head of the Red Army
Explanation: By becoming General Secretary of the Communist Party, Stalin progressively used this position to control appointments within the party and remove his rivals, notably Trotsky. Lenin himself, in his political testament dictated at the end of 1922, recommended dismissing Stalin from this role, fearing his brutality and thirst for power.
Question 5 : On 3 April 1996, the FBI arrested Theodore Kaczynski, known by what nickname in the American press?
Possible answers:
- The Phantom of the Rockies
- The Unabomber
- The Zodiac Killer
- The BTK Killer
Explanation: Theodore Kaczynski, nicknamed "Unabomber" (for UNiversity and Airline BOMBER), led a bombing campaign for 17 years targeting universities and airlines. He killed 3 people and injured 23. His capture was made possible thanks to his own brother David, who recognised his writing style in his manifesto published in the press.
Question 6 : On 3 April 1860, the Pony Express appeared in the United States. On what occasion was this fast mail service established?
Possible answers:
- To carry mail between the East and West coasts of the United States
- To transport gold discovered in California to Washington
- To resupply military forts during the Indian wars
- To distribute newspapers in the Western territories
Explanation: The Pony Express linked Saint Joseph (Missouri) to Sacramento (California) over nearly 3,000 km in just 10 days, thanks to horse relays every 15 to 25 km. This service lasted only 18 months, replaced as early as 1861 by the transcontinental telegraph, but it remained an iconic symbol of the conquest of the American West.
Question 7 : On 3 April 1895, a high-profile trial began against a famous Irish writer. Who is it?
Possible answers:
- George Bernard Shaw
- Oscar Wilde
- Arthur Conan Doyle
- Rudyard Kipling
Explanation: Oscar Wilde had sued the father of his lover Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosie) for libel. By doing so, he exposed himself and was finally sentenced for "gross indecency" to two years of hard labour. His time in prison inspired "De Profundis" and "The Ballad of Reading Gaol". He died ruined in Paris in 1900.
Question 8 : On 3 April 1976, the first César Awards ceremony was held in Paris. What is the nickname given to this first edition?
Possible answers:
- The Great Night of French Cinema
- The Gala of the 7th Art
- The Night of the Césars
- The Awards Ball
Explanation: This first ceremony, called "Nuit des César" (Night of the Césars), rewarded the films released in 1975. The César for Best Film was awarded to "Le Vieux Fusil" by Robert Enrico. The César statuette was created by sculptor César Baldaccini, who gave it his name. Since then, this ceremony has been considered the French equivalent of the American Oscars.
Question 9 : Born on 3 April 1924, Marlon Brando is an iconic American actor. In which of these films does he NOT play a major role?
Possible answers:
- The Godfather (1972)
- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
- Apocalypse Now (1979)
- A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Explanation: Marlon Brando does not appear in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969), which starred Paul Newman and Robert Redford. On the other hand, Brando is famous for his roles in "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951), "The Godfather" (1972, for which he received an Oscar) and "Apocalypse Now" (1979). He revolutionised acting with the Stanislavski method.
Question 10 : On 3 April 2016, the "Panama Papers" were published. Which organisation was at the origin of this global revelation?
Possible answers:
- WikiLeaks founded by Julian Assange
- The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
- Transparency International
Explanation: The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) coordinated the work of more than 370 journalists from 76 countries to analyse the 11.5 million documents from the Panamanian firm Mossack Fonseca. This investigation revealed the tax arrangements of political figures and businessmen from around the world, leading to the resignation of several heads of state.
